International Business Timeshttp://www.ibtimes.com
Latest Newsen‘Hitler Was Jewish’: False Claim By Dutch Political Party Leads To Hate Speech Complainthttp://www.ibtimes.com/hitler-was-jewish-false-claim-dutch-political-party-leads-hate-speech-complaint-2457976
A political party in the Netherlands has been the subject of a hate speech complaint after its founder claimed that Adolf Hitler was Jewish and that Jews helped bring him to power in Germany.
The Vrije Democratische Partij (VDP, “Free Democratic Party”) was only founded in November at a fish grill in the northern city of Zaandam. It has registered to participate in the upcoming elections for the House of Representatives, scheduled for March 2017.http://www.ibtimes.com/hitler-was-jewish-false-claim-dutch-political-party-leads-hate-speech-complaint-2457976Fri, 09 Dec 2016 11:17:09 -0500Mandatory Chess In Russian Schools? Senator Proposes Board Game Lessons Instead Of Physical Educationhttp://www.ibtimes.com/mandatory-chess-russian-schools-senator-proposes-board-game-lessons-instead-physical-2457953
In the wake of Russian grandmaster Sergey Karjakin's World Chess Championship narrow defeat last month, a senator in Russia has proposed making the game a mandatory high school subject. Senator Vadim Tyulpanov suggested recently that the Education and Science Ministry swap physical education classes for chess lessons in secondary school, the Moscow Times reported Thursday.http://www.ibtimes.com/mandatory-chess-russian-schools-senator-proposes-board-game-lessons-instead-physical-2457953Fri, 09 Dec 2016 11:13:07 -0500Russia, Putin Testing Donald Trump On NATO? US Troops To Head To Eastern Europe In January Russiahttp://www.ibtimes.com/russia-putin-testing-donald-trump-nato-us-troops-head-eastern-europe-january-russia-2457870
President-elect Donald Trump, his transition team and the North Atlanta Treaty Organization (NATO) are reportedly being tested by Russia and its President Vladimir Putin as it continues to reinforce troops and missile systems in the Kaliningrad exclave in the Baltic region, the Wall Street Journal reported Friday.http://www.ibtimes.com/russia-putin-testing-donald-trump-nato-us-troops-head-eastern-europe-january-russia-2457870Fri, 09 Dec 2016 08:50:50 -0500Graphene And Silly Putty Make Sensor That Can Detect Heart Rate, Spider Footstepshttp://www.ibtimes.com/graphene-silly-putty-make-sensor-can-detect-heart-rate-spider-footsteps-2457846
Silly Putty is not just a kids’ toy, especially if you add graphene to it. The material is already a very soft plastic, and behaves like both a liquid and a solid, and when mixed with the conductive atom-thick sheet form of carbon, the compound becomes a super-sensitive sensor that can track your heart rate through your skin and can even detect a spider’s tiny footsteps.http://www.ibtimes.com/graphene-silly-putty-make-sensor-can-detect-heart-rate-spider-footsteps-2457846Fri, 09 Dec 2016 07:14:37 -0500Who Is Geert Wilders? Dutch Anti-Islam Politician Convicted Of Hate Speech, No Penalty Imposedhttp://www.ibtimes.com/who-geert-wilders-dutch-anti-islam-politician-convicted-hate-speech-no-penalty-2457840
Anti-Islam politician Geert Wilders was convicted of hate speech by a Dutch court Thursday, but no penalty was imposed on the populist leader accused of insulting a group and inciting discrimination.
Presiding Judge Hendrik Steenhuis at the court near Amsterdam said the conviction was punishment enough for a democratically elected politician, whose party is leading in polls ahead of parliamentary elections in March.http://www.ibtimes.com/who-geert-wilders-dutch-anti-islam-politician-convicted-hate-speech-no-penalty-2457840Fri, 09 Dec 2016 07:04:47 -0500Quantum Computing Update: Researchers Test Technique To Extend Lifespan Of Superconducting Qubitshttp://www.ibtimes.com/quantum-computing-update-researchers-test-technique-extend-lifespan-superconducting-2457781
The world of subatomic particles, governed by the laws of quantum mechanics, is an extremely weird one. In the quantum realm, at least insofar as we can understand, particles are in a state of superposition, wherein they exist in two or more states simultaneously — a cat that is both dead and alive, so to speak.http://www.ibtimes.com/quantum-computing-update-researchers-test-technique-extend-lifespan-superconducting-2457781Fri, 09 Dec 2016 05:20:25 -0500Russia Preparing For War? Moscow Tests Nuclear-Capable Drone Submarine Posing Threat To UShttp://www.ibtimes.com/russia-preparing-war-moscow-tests-nuclear-capable-drone-submarine-posing-threat-us-2457760
Russia conducted a revolutionary nuclear-capable drone submarine test that could pose a major threat to U.S. ports and harbors, according to reports Thursday. U.S. intelligence agencies reportedly detected the test of the unmanned underwater vehicle during its launch from a Sarov-class submarine on Nov. 27.http://www.ibtimes.com/russia-preparing-war-moscow-tests-nuclear-capable-drone-submarine-posing-threat-us-2457760Fri, 09 Dec 2016 05:10:49 -0500Quasicrystal Found In Russian Meteorite Is Only The Third To Be Discovered In Nature http://www.ibtimes.com/quasicrystal-found-russian-meteorite-only-third-be-discovered-nature-2457735
Until just a few years back, the existence of natural quasicrystals — unique materials that are neither crystalline nor amorphous — was considered an impossibility. Over the past five years, however, scientists have discovered two of these in nature, both from a meteorite discovered in the Khatyrka region of northeast Russia in 2011.http://www.ibtimes.com/quasicrystal-found-russian-meteorite-only-third-be-discovered-nature-2457735Fri, 09 Dec 2016 03:35:07 -0500Who Is Adolf Burger? Nazi Camp Survivor, Who Was Forced To Counterfeit Cash, Dies At 90 In Praguehttp://www.ibtimes.com/who-adolf-burger-nazi-camp-survivor-who-was-forced-counterfeit-cash-dies-90-prague-2457692
Adolf Burger, the last concentration camp inmate forced by Nazis to produce fake pound notes, died Tuesday at the age of 90 in Prague, media reports said Thursday. Burger was part of an elaborate Nazi plan titled "Operation Bernhard" that sought to disrupt Britain’s economy by introducing millions of fake bank notes.http://www.ibtimes.com/who-adolf-burger-nazi-camp-survivor-who-was-forced-counterfeit-cash-dies-90-prague-2457692Fri, 09 Dec 2016 02:16:18 -0500SpaceX Loses Inmarsat EAN Satellite Launch Contract To Arianespacehttp://www.ibtimes.com/spacex-loses-inmarsat-ean-satellite-launch-contract-arianespace-2457674
SpaceX’s loss has got to be someone else’s gain. Inmarsat, a British satellite communications company, announced Thursday it signed a contract with Arianespace to launch its S-band satellite, which the Elon Musk company was previously scheduled to launch.http://www.ibtimes.com/spacex-loses-inmarsat-ean-satellite-launch-contract-arianespace-2457674Fri, 09 Dec 2016 01:16:48 -0500When Did Smallpox Emerge? 17th Century Lithuanian Mummy Could Rewrite History Of The Deadly Diseasehttp://www.ibtimes.com/when-did-smallpox-emerge-17th-century-lithuanian-mummy-could-rewrite-history-deadly-2457670
Scientists have long thought that smallpox — one of the most devastating diseases to ever afflict humankind — has been around for thousands of years. The World Health Organization, for instance, states that smallpox, caused by the Variola virus, has existed for at least 3,000 years.http://www.ibtimes.com/when-did-smallpox-emerge-17th-century-lithuanian-mummy-could-rewrite-history-deadly-2457670Fri, 09 Dec 2016 01:03:35 -0500UK: Israel A Threat To Middle East Peace, According To Edward Snowden Leaks http://www.ibtimes.com/uk-israel-threat-middle-east-peace-according-edward-snowden-leaks-2457160
Newly leaked documents revealed that U.K.'s intelligence agency surveilled Israeli military and diplomatic entities from 2008 to 2009, once labeling Tel Aviv as a genuine threat to stability in the Middle East, French daily Le Monde reported Thursday.http://www.ibtimes.com/uk-israel-threat-middle-east-peace-according-edward-snowden-leaks-2457160Thu, 08 Dec 2016 09:38:24 -0500German Mosque Controversy: Muslim Allies Told Move To Africahttp://www.ibtimes.com/german-mosque-controversy-muslim-allies-told-move-africa-2457141
Far-right party Der III. Weg (“The Third Way”) has responded to plans to build a Mosque in the German city of Hachenburg by sending postcards to the local council suggesting they leave Germany for Africa.http://www.ibtimes.com/german-mosque-controversy-muslim-allies-told-move-africa-2457141Thu, 08 Dec 2016 09:18:25 -0500Quantum Spin Liquid — An Exotic State Of Matter — Observed In Synthetic Ytterbium Crystalhttp://www.ibtimes.com/quantum-spin-liquid-exotic-state-matter-observed-synthetic-ytterbium-crystal-2457107
Quantum entanglement. It is the weird phenomenon that gives quantum computers their fabled power over their conventional counterparts. When two subatomic particles are in a state of entanglement, they can be separated by billions of light-years, and yet be instantly affected by changes to the quantum state of the other.http://www.ibtimes.com/quantum-spin-liquid-exotic-state-matter-observed-synthetic-ytterbium-crystal-2457107Thu, 08 Dec 2016 07:22:17 -0500End Of Days: Will Earth Survive The Sun’s Expansion Into A Red Giant 5 Billion Years From Now?http://www.ibtimes.com/end-days-will-earth-survive-suns-expansion-red-giant-5-billion-years-now-2457100
Even if climate change were to make Earth uninhabitable for living beings, the planet itself would still exist. After all, based on what we currently know, it was barren of life for at least a few hundred thousand years after its formation. And since life first sprung up, it has survived in some form or another through the various eras, periods, epochs and ages. However, is there a time when Earth itself will come to end?http://www.ibtimes.com/end-days-will-earth-survive-suns-expansion-red-giant-5-billion-years-now-2457100Thu, 08 Dec 2016 07:09:32 -0500Greenland Had No Ice For 280,000 Years 1.1 Million Years Ago, And Could Go That Way Againhttp://www.ibtimes.com/greenland-had-no-ice-280000-years-11-million-years-ago-could-go-way-again-2456982
The fact that over 80 percent of a landmass, more than a fifth the size of the United States, is covered in ice and is still called Greenland has been a source of frequent puzzlement for many, who wonder at the misnomer. And while there is evidence that the world’s largest island (smaller than Australia, which counts as a continent) was greener in the past than it is now, a new study shows Greenland could have been completely ice-free 1.1 million years ago.http://www.ibtimes.com/greenland-had-no-ice-280000-years-11-million-years-ago-could-go-way-again-2456982Thu, 08 Dec 2016 03:27:12 -0500Mars One Delays Its Plan To Colonize The Red Planet, Againhttp://www.ibtimes.com/mars-one-delays-its-plan-colonize-red-planet-again-2456977
Remember Mars One? The private spaceflight company that, in 2012, unveiled its ambitious plan to send humans to the red planet in 2023 has announced another delay in its mission.
In a statement released Wednesday, Mars One said that it now expects to send its first crew of four astronauts to Mars in 2031 — eight years beyond its original target and five years after its most recent deadline of 2026 expires. http://www.ibtimes.com/mars-one-delays-its-plan-colonize-red-planet-again-2456977Thu, 08 Dec 2016 03:13:20 -0500PewDiePie To Quit YouTube? Algorithm Change Accusation Denied By Video-Sharing Websitehttp://www.ibtimes.com/pewdiepie-quit-youtube-algorithm-change-accusation-denied-video-sharing-website-2456956
YouTube dismissed allegations of making changes to its algorithm after one of the most popular stars on the video-sharing platform announced he would delete his channel.
In a video uploaded last week, video gamer Felix Kjellberg, widely known as PewDiePie, said he would delete his channel and accused YouTube of making changes to its algorithm that affected the discoverability of a user’s content.
“YouTube is trying to kill my channel,” he said in his 10-minute video. “It’s clear if you watch my analytics. It’s all going down there.”http://www.ibtimes.com/pewdiepie-quit-youtube-algorithm-change-accusation-denied-video-sharing-website-2456956Thu, 08 Dec 2016 02:32:31 -0500Dark Matter May Be Lot Less ‘Clumpy’ Than Previously Thought, New Survey Reveals http://www.ibtimes.com/dark-matter-may-be-lot-less-clumpy-previously-thought-new-survey-reveals-2456917
Dark matter — the mysterious substance that makes up 85 percent of the universe’s mass — may be more evenly distributed in the cosmos than previously believed, according to a new analysis of its gravitational effects on light from 15 million galaxies.
The belief that the distribution of dark matter throughout the cosmos is uneven is based on observations made using the European Space Agency’s Planck satellite, which used gravitational lensing to create a map of dark matter.http://www.ibtimes.com/dark-matter-may-be-lot-less-clumpy-previously-thought-new-survey-reveals-2456917Thu, 08 Dec 2016 01:02:36 -0500Catholic Priests: Gay Men Can't Join Priesthood, Vatican Says Reaffirming 2005 Policy On Homosexualityhttp://www.ibtimes.com/catholic-priests-gay-men-cant-join-priesthood-vatican-says-reaffirming-2005-policy-2456910
The Vatican reaffirmed its 2005 policy on gay men being priests Thursday saying people with “deep-seated homosexual tendencies” or who “support the so-called ‘gay culture’” cannot join priesthood.http://www.ibtimes.com/catholic-priests-gay-men-cant-join-priesthood-vatican-says-reaffirming-2005-policy-2456910Thu, 08 Dec 2016 00:35:08 -0500Where Is Abortion Illegal? Protest Against ‘Culture Of Death’ By Malawi Religious Groupshttp://www.ibtimes.com/where-abortion-illegal-protest-against-culture-death-malawi-religious-groups-2456454
Religious groups in Malawi took to the streets on Tuesday to protest against a proposed law change expanding women’s access to abortions in the southeast African country. Currently, abortion in the nation is only permitted in cases where the life of the mother is at risk. But a new Termination of Pregnancy Bill has been proposed to parliament, which would also allow abortion in order to preserve the physical and mental health of the mother, in cases of rape or incest and when there is severe fetal impairmenthttp://www.ibtimes.com/where-abortion-illegal-protest-against-culture-death-malawi-religious-groups-2456454Wed, 07 Dec 2016 11:01:22 -0500Feast Of Immaculate Conception 2016: What Is The Holy Day Of Obligation And When Is It?http://www.ibtimes.com/feast-immaculate-conception-2016-what-holy-day-obligation-when-it-2455854
Just over two weeks before celebrating the birth of Jesus, Catholics will celebrate Thursday God enabling Jesus’ mother Mary to be conceived free of sin. The Feast of the Immaculate Conception is a major occasion in many countries throughout the world.http://www.ibtimes.com/feast-immaculate-conception-2016-what-holy-day-obligation-when-it-2455854Wed, 07 Dec 2016 10:27:12 -0500Paris Global Warming Effects: Winter Air Pollution Is Highest In 10 Yearshttp://www.ibtimes.com/paris-global-warming-effects-winter-air-pollution-highest-10-years-2456402
Winter air pollution in Paris is the worst it has been in a decade, according to the Airparif agency, which is charged with measuring the levels. In response, the city has made public transportation free for the second day in a row and has limited which cars are allowed to drive, the Independent reported Wednesday.http://www.ibtimes.com/paris-global-warming-effects-winter-air-pollution-highest-10-years-2456402Wed, 07 Dec 2016 09:46:56 -0500Why Circumcision? Procedure ‘Ethically Unacceptable,’ Danish Medical Association Warns http://www.ibtimes.com/why-circumcision-procedure-ethically-unacceptable-danish-medical-association-warns-2456383
Circumcising a boy before they reach an age where they can decide for themselves is “ethically unacceptable,” doctors in Denmark have said. The Danish Medical Association made the recommendation Friday, stressing that the procedure should be “an informed, personal choice,” and warning against possible complications.http://www.ibtimes.com/why-circumcision-procedure-ethically-unacceptable-danish-medical-association-warns-2456383Wed, 07 Dec 2016 08:52:07 -0500Is Julian Assange Innocent? WikiLeaks Founder Releases His Full Testimony To Swedish Prosecutorshttp://www.ibtimes.com/julian-assange-innocent-wikileaks-founder-releases-his-full-testimony-swedish-2456332
Julian Assange released his testimony to Swedish prosecutors, saying he is "entirely innocent" and that the text messages show "it is clearly consensual sex between adults." This is the first time the WikiLeaks founder has gone public with his version of events surrounding a rape allegation against him.http://www.ibtimes.com/julian-assange-innocent-wikileaks-founder-releases-his-full-testimony-swedish-2456332Wed, 07 Dec 2016 06:27:41 -0500ExoMars Mission Update: Trace Gas Orbiter Carries Out Test Science Measurementshttp://www.ibtimes.com/exomars-mission-update-trace-gas-orbiter-carries-out-test-science-measurements-2456321
Less than two months after inserting itself in orbit around Mars, the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO) has begun flexing its science muscles. On Tuesday, the European Space Agency (ESA) released a composite image of the tiny Martian moon Phobos compiled using several photographs captured by the camera on board the TGO from a distance of roughly 4,800 miles.http://www.ibtimes.com/exomars-mission-update-trace-gas-orbiter-carries-out-test-science-measurements-2456321Wed, 07 Dec 2016 06:11:35 -0500Polar Bear Population, Threatened By Shrinking Sea Ice, Could Drop 30% In 40 Yearshttp://www.ibtimes.com/polar-bear-population-threatened-shrinking-sea-ice-could-drop-30-40-years-2456297
Emblematic of the effects of climate change, polar bears have once again been shown to be highly vulnerable due to shrinking sea ice levels throughout the range of their habitat. A study published Wednesday by an international team of researchers found a 71 percent chance that over 30 percent of Earth’s polar bear population could be gone in 35-41 years.http://www.ibtimes.com/polar-bear-population-threatened-shrinking-sea-ice-could-drop-30-40-years-2456297Wed, 07 Dec 2016 05:22:46 -0500Nuclear Fusion: Germany’s Wendelstein 7-X ‘Stellarator’ Is Operating As Expectedhttp://www.ibtimes.com/nuclear-fusion-germanys-wendelstein-7-x-stellarator-operating-expected-2456267
If there is a holy grail of humankind’s quest for clean and limitless energy, it is to replicate the process that has been powering our sun for the past 4.5 billion years. Unlike nuclear fission — the process that powers our current nuclear facilities — fusion generates energy by fusing the nuclei of lighter atoms into heavier ones, and produces no long-term radioactive waste.http://www.ibtimes.com/nuclear-fusion-germanys-wendelstein-7-x-stellarator-operating-expected-2456267Wed, 07 Dec 2016 04:32:33 -0500Russian Tensions See Poland Bolster Military Power: Warsaw To Spend Nearly $14.5 Billion On New Defense Gearhttp://www.ibtimes.com/russian-tensions-see-poland-bolster-military-power-warsaw-spend-nearly-145-billion-2456258
Poland will set aside over 61 billion zloty ($14.5 billion) to purchase new military equipment from 2017 to 2022, a spokeswoman for the Polish Ministry of Defense said. Warsaw is planning on improving its air defense, naval, cybersecurity, tank and armored vehicle, and territorial defense capacities.http://www.ibtimes.com/russian-tensions-see-poland-bolster-military-power-warsaw-spend-nearly-145-billion-2456258Wed, 07 Dec 2016 04:16:05 -0500CERN LHC Update: Large Hadron Collider Wraps Up 2016 Run After Smashing Through Collision Targetshttp://www.ibtimes.com/cern-lhc-update-large-hadron-collider-wraps-2016-run-after-smashing-through-collision-2456221
It’s a wrap for the Large Hadron Collider’s latest run. On Monday, the LHC — the world’s largest particle accelerator, housed underground near the France-Switzerland border near Geneva — circulated lead ions and protons for the last time this year.
In its 2016 run, which began in May, the LHC surpassed its targets by a wide margin. The number of collisions recorded by the ATLAS and CMS detectors — two of LHC’s four largest detectors — during the proton run from April to the end of October was 60 percent higher than expected.http://www.ibtimes.com/cern-lhc-update-large-hadron-collider-wraps-2016-run-after-smashing-through-collision-2456221Wed, 07 Dec 2016 02:37:39 -0500